Strictly Professional
by words-with-dragons
Summary: There is one thing every spy knows: your relationship with your partner stays strictly professional. Jinora has always wanted to be a field Agent. Back from recuperation, Kai just wants to leave his bitter past behind. With their Agency's enemies on the rise, however, nothing is ever that simple. [Kai/Jinora] T for violence, language, sexual situations in later chapters.
1. I: The New Partner

STRICTLY PROFESSIONAL

* * *

Act I: The Beginning of the End  
Chapter 1: The New Partner

* * *

 _October 4, 8:15 am. HQ, Republic City._

* * *

Jinora Gyatso knew it was going to be a long day.

Nothing had gone right that morning. First, she had slept through her alarm, then spilled her tea on her blouse and had to change, had seemed to get every red light on her way to work, and was running fifteen minutes behind. Of all the days to be late. This was a horrible first impression to make.

It was relief when she finally turned down on Yangchen's Avenue, the great stone building that was her destination only down the street. To anyone else, it looked like a run-down, abandoned library. To her, or anyone else in the Raava Agency, it was the HQ of the biggest and most powerful spy agency in the world.

After going through the rigorous security checks, including voice recognition, thumb print, her key code and punching in her agent number (0102) she was finally allowed through the secret sliding doors (you had to know which bookcase was the door on the outside first), down silver hallways, and finally, into the core of the building.

As she stepped in the elevator, she could feel the excitement build. Commander Gyatso had been extremely reluctant to allow her into the field, and she had to do a lot of persuading, with Commander BeiFong's help and guidance, to let her join, despite how simple this mission was going to be. It was a quick flight to Varrick Enterprises to renew their company's contract with the Agency. Nothing to be nervous about, and there was a lack of any real danger. But Jinora couldn't help but feel nervous and excited. Finally, she was going to get a chance to spread her wings and be a real field agent, not just behind some desk in a stuffy office punching numbers.

Yet when she entered the room, her new partner still wasn't there. Instead it was only her father, sitting in a wheeled office chair, looking especially grave. "Agent Gyatso," he greeted.

"Commander Gyatso," she inclined her head. She was confused as to why her father looked so troubled. The mission was going to be as safe as a mission could be; she couldn't wait to start.

As soon as her partner got here, anyway. She wondered who'd they be. An older agent, more experienced. Someone to show her the ropes. A model agent, cool and collected. Maybe Agent 003, or, if she hoped, Agent 008, a family friend named Korra. "Are they...running late?"

Tenzin stood up, sighing. "There's been a slight change of plans… Your original partner has been relocated. Your new partner is coming in on a plane in a few hours."

That didn't sound like such a big deal. "Then what's the problem exactly, sir?"

"Your new partner is," Tenzin pinched the bridge of his nose as though the next few words were going to cause him deep pain. "It's Kai Fong."

" _No."_ Kai Fong? Seriously? Cool and collected her butt. _He_ was her new partner? Jinora's jaw dropped and she quickly shut it. "Commander, there must be some mistake."

"No mistake."

"Dad-"

"If I could change it I would, but it's beyond my power. If I could take you off the mission I'd do that as well, but alas… He's come back from recuperation. They think something small is the best way to ease him back into the field."

Jinora buried her face in her hands. This was going to be a very, _very_ long day.

* * *

"Hey Agent Gyatso, how are things?" A dark skinned young woman grinned, leaning back on Jinora's desk and propping herself up on her elbows.

"I'm not in the mood Korra," said Jinora dryly. "And get off my desk."

"Ouch. Someone got up on the wrong side of the bed today." Korra didn't move, but she gave Jinora a concerned look. "What's wrong?"

"It's my stupid partner," Jinora grumbled. "Whoever I was supposed to get got relocated and now I'm stuck with Kai Fong."

"I worked with him once," Korra remembered. "He's not so bad."

"He's terrible at following orders," Jinora complained. "He's impulsive, and brash, and stupid, he doesn't listen…It's amazing he's being allowed back at all."

"Hey, but you're still going out on the field for the first time," Korra reminded her. "Don't let a partner ruin your first shot. Or is that why you're actually upset?"

"You know my father will take any excuse he gets to bring me straight back home and I'll be stuck here for the rest of my life," Jinora gestured to her desk, piled high with stacks of tedious and boring paperwork. "This mission has to go well."

"It will, you'll see." Korra ruffled her hair. "I'm heading out to Moscow tomorrow, so we'll see each other when we get back, yeah?"

Jinora smiled a little. "Course. See you in a week Korra."

She glanced at her clock. Her lunch break would be staring any moment, so she reached inside her purse for her wallet, intending on buying something in the food court, when the intercom crackled to life.

 _"Agent 0102, 0102, Agent Gyatso, please report to the front entrance. Thank you."_

No time for lunch then. This day just kept getting better and better. Sighing, Jinora stowed her wallet back in her purse and slipped the strap onto her shoulder. Time to go meet her new partner, or at least that's what she assumed was happening. She had never actually met Kai Fong in person, but she had heard stories. Most notably, the one that had sent him into recuperation in the first place.

She found herself smoothing down her pencil skirt and hair. If they were going to be working together, than she might as well still try to make a good first impression. Jinora weaved in through the crowd of various agents, interns and associates, all prim and proper, dressed in crisp suits with neat hair.

So the young man with messy hair and a plain off-white t-shirt and ripped jeans caught her eye immediately. He was standing underneath the front entrance, with the grey haired and ever-stern Commander BeiFong, a duffle bag slung over his shoulder. A clunky grey watch was on his left wrist.

"Ah, Agent Gyatso," greeted Commander BeiFong, and she saw the man raise his eyebrows and frowned slightly. Yes, her father was a Commander, but she hated it when people treated her differently because of it. If they thought she got special privileges for it, they were sorely mistaken. "This is your new partner, Agent Kai Fong. Agent Fong, this is Jinora Gyatso."

She hated the way his green eyes studied her, as if assessing her - maybe how long she would actually last in the field, maybe if her daddy had gotten her this position, maybe - before his lips were tugged downwards slightly. "So, you're my new partner?"

She simply nodded. _Unfortunately._ Although he didn't seem particularly pleased by the partnership either. "Yup." She was glad when Commander BeiFong broke the silence that was quickly becoming awkward.

"Tomorrow you'll both be catching a plane at 11:00 o'clock sharp. You'll be visiting Varrick Enterprises late afternoon, and a hotel has already been booked for the night. The next morning, you'll take the 8:00 AM flight back here," she explained. "If all goes well-"

"Why wouldn't it?" said Kai, his voice sharp, almost accusatory. BeiFong threw him a pointed look. Jinora couldn't believe he'd just interrupted a _Commander_. Who did he think he was?

"As I was saying, if your missions continue to go well, then there's no reason to end the partnership prematurely," BeiFong continued, pursing her lips once she had finished. It didn't look like she was glad to have Kai back either.

"Lucky us," Jinora tried not to sound too sarcastic, but it slipped out before she could stop it. Unbelievably, Kai's lips twitched upwards. At least she hadn't made him mad, although maybe it would be better if they just ignored each other. That seemed to be the direction their partnership was headed in, anyway.

"Agent Fong, sleeping arrangements have been set up for the night at Kwong's Hotel, and Agent Gyatso, you may go home and prepare for tomorrow."

Jinora didn't have to be told twice. She merely gave Kai a quick nod, and then turned on her heel and left (not before grabbing a breakfast sandwich from the food court). She munched on it as she wanted for a cab, not quite sure of what to think. Kai seemed rude, if not arrogant, but at least it seemed that their partnership wasn't going to be torture.

She wondered if she'd still hold the same opinion after sitting next to him for a three hour flight. But, she reasoned, she'd move up through the rankings, and onto bigger and better things sooner rather than later. Unlike him, she knew how to take orders.

* * *

 _October 5th, 6:03 am, Jinora's Apartment, Downtown Republic City_

* * *

After tossing and turning in bed for a few hours, Jinora knew there was no way she was getting back to sleep now. She had packed, and then repacked, double checking that she had everything, even though she wasn't bringing much to begin with: an extra change of clothes, a thick wad of twenty-dollar bills, a bag of toiletries, pyjamas, a secret compartment where her gun was stowed (although she had never used it outside of the practice shooting range) but wouldn't be detected by any of the airport's security checks, and a good book, in case she got bored on the flight. It had been easy enough to neatly pack it away into a knapsack, with her purse resting on top, and she was glad they were going to be able to skip the typical bag check and drop off.

As much as she was eager to get out onto the field, she was glad she wasn't starting with anything more dangerous; she wasn't sure she'd be able to handle it. She bet Kai was secretly glad too. His last mission had gone about as badly as a mission could go - his own fault, but still - and he had spent months recovering physically. If he was pitched back into the chaos that could come, Jinora wasn't sure he'd be able to handle it either.

She threw earbuds into her bag, hoping that they could block out the sound enough and she could get some sleep on the plane. It had taken a while for her to drift off as well, and she had a feeling she and Kai wouldn't be too chatty.

Jinora forced herself to eat, even though she didn't feel very hungry, her stomach bubbling with nerves. She nearly burned her toast out of distraction of everything that could go wrong on this mission - plane crash, car crash, Varrick being secretly evil and turning all his weapons them, Varrick not wanting to sign the deal, even if she knew all of them were getting more and more ridiculous.

Varrick wasn't evil, eccentric maybe, but not evil. His company had a long standing contract and agreement with the Raava Agency. She had met him once before, when he had visited the Agency to look at how "his babies" were being treated, and then laughed maniacally when he watched Agents practice with his guns in the firing range. He certainly wasn't a criminal mastermind, even if perhaps he wasn't all that sane.

After double checking she had everything she needed (again) and making sure her apartment was locked up and that her neighbour across the hall, a nice little old lady with a cat named Miyuki, would be collecting her newspapers, Jinora hailed a taxicab outside of her apartment building at 9 o'clock sharp.

It took half an hour to get to the airport, mostly due to the distance and not the traffic. Kai was already there at their designated meeting point at the front entrance. He was sitting next to his duffle bag, a hand in his hair. He looked tired, and irritable when she walked over to him.

"Can we go now?" he said, looking bored.

"How long have you been here?" she asked, as he got to his feet and grabbed his bag.

"A few hours. Couldn't sleep. So I walked around for a couple of hours and then figured I'd just wait." He shrugged. "Let's just get on the plane."

They waited in silence in the check bags line, other than Kai's occasional yawning. Jinora hoped he'd fall asleep on the plane, as they both needed to be alert and wide awake for their check on Varrick's company warehouses. Then, through the security checks (her gun and whatever Kai had made it through without being detected) and finally, onto the plane.

There were two-chair rows on either side of the plane with a three-seat middle row. Jinora was glad they were in the two seats along the right side of the plane, and merely raised her eyebrows when Kai waited for her to take the seat on the inside. Why he didn't want to be near the window, she wasn't sure, but didn't object.

An hour and a half later however, Jinora was ready to strangle him. She prided herself on usually being a pretty patient person (a result of growing up with her rambunctious younger siblings, Ikki and Meelo) but her new partner was getting on her last nerve. "Could you please stop tapping?" she hissed, for what felt like the hundred time.

"I can't help it," Kai shoved his hands into his jacket pockets again, but they could never seem to stay there. And then she'd hear the little _taptaptap_ on their shared armrest, drilling into her skull despite her earbuds and ruining whatever chances she had of sleep.

"Well find a way," she snapped. "You're driving me crazy."

Kai grinned. "I drive lots of girls crazy."

Jinora narrowed her eyes at him before turning away with a huff, staring out the window. "I cannot believe this," she muttered, scowling. Her first mission ever, and she was stuck with _him,_ not only on this plane for another god-forsaken hour and a half, but also for as long as their missions went well. Maybe she'd luck out and he'd mess up somehow and they wouldn't have to be partners anymore.

She stole a glance at him and saw him tiredly rub at his eyes. There was a scar running over the curve of his thumb, she noticed, and wondered briefly how he got it. On his last mission, perhaps, when everything had gone wrong? Was he nervous at all, going back into the field? He didn't seem to be, but appearances weren't always correct. Maybe the tapping was a sign he was nervous, or just restless. Or just trying (and succeeding) to aggravate her.

"What're you staring at?" he asked and she quickly looked away.

"Nothing, just zoned out." It came out more defensive than she meant it to.

Kai gave her an incredulous look. "Are you always going to be this grumpy?"

"Are you always going to be this annoying?"

"I'm not happy about this partnership either, you know," Kai frowned. "The last thing I wanted was to be stuck with a newbie."

"You're not a prize yourself," Jinora shot back. "I know what happened, on your last mission-"

Kai's eyes flashed as he glared fiercely at her. "No, you don't. So shut up and leave it, and me, alone. The sooner this is over, the better." Something in his tone - real anger? Or maybe even a little fear? - silenced her.

"Whatever." She crossed her arms over her chest. Kai didn't start tapping again - maybe he just didn't want to give her an excuse to start talking again, even if the last thing she wanted was to talk to him - and Jinora was grateful. And maybe just a little disappointed, somehow, but she quickly squashed that.

They had a job to do, and him of all people wasn't going to get in the way of it.

* * *

 _October 5, 3:15 pm. Outer Rim of Republic City, South._

* * *

Kai wouldn't stop bouncing his leg in the taxicab. Jinora did her best to ignore him by checking her phone, which was surprisingly effective. She saw she had a text message from her dad ( _Text me when you get there_ ) and sent back a quick message, tacking on a smiley face at the end even if she wasn't smiling now. She was sure he was worried enough, with Kai being her partner.

She pocketed her phone and stared out the window, seeing a tall chain-link fence with a bright yellow sign with blinking letters reading _VARRICK ENTERPRISES: NO TRESPASSING._ The entire property was gated, devoid of much else for miles. Inside, she could see tall, wide set buildings made of brown bricks and slanted tiled roofs. A few workers and forklifts carrying large boxes were milling around, but that was about it. She couldn't believe how many warehouses they were though: over 20 at least, although, she reasoned, they were used for the development, building and storage of all of Varrick's weapons.

"We're here," the taxicab driver announced, pulling up outside the fence. They would have to enter a passcode to get through the gate.

"Thank you," Jinora handed him some money from the backseat, grabbed her bag and pushed the door open. She had almost gotten out of the car when she realized Kai hadn't moved. He didn't even to have seemed to realize they had stopped. "Uh," she paused, unsure of how to address him. Partner? Kai? Both seemed far too personal. She settled on, "Agent Fong." Simple, professional. No attachments established nor wanted. Perfect. "We've arrived."

Kai looked up at her, as though startled. "Oh. Right." He slung his duffle bag over his shoulder and climbed out of the car, Jinora getting out on the other side. She noticed he still seemed fidgety, even as the taxi began to drive away.

"Are you, uh..."

Jinora paused, searching for something to look at besides him. She settled on her sneakers, a faded blue covered in marker stripes from that time Rohan had gotten his hands on a box of markers and her sneakers. She had been upset when the markings wouldn't come off, but now she found it endearing. It made her think of home, not of her apartment, but her childhood home, of the apple orchard and the kitchen smelling like freshly baked cookies, a house that was always too loud but always full of laughter. She suddenly wondered if Kai had ever had a home like that. If he still did. Besides his bad rep sheet, she didn't know a single thing about him, other than the fact that he was incredibly annoying.

"Are you okay?" her voice was surprisingly quiet.

Suddenly Kai smiled that infuriating grin of his, as if she was stupid for asking such a question, and whatever pity she may or may not have been feeling evaporated. "Yeah," he stuck his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Jinora frowned. "No reason... Come on, let's just get this done."

A worker was waiting for them by the keypad in the gate and punched in the code, pushing the gate open for them. Jinora gave them an appreciative smile. "I'll take you straight to Varrick, he's in warehouse 2 at the moment."

Jinora wished she could put her bag down, but Kai wasn't showing any signs of fatigue and she had certainly gotten more sleep that she had, so she bit back her complaint and they both followed the worker into a warehouse with a big red number 2 painted above the doorway.

The first thing that hit her was the noise, all drilling and the loud hum of machinery and voices yelling out orders. One man with wavy, bushy hair held a megaphone up to his mouth, with a woman dressed in all green beside him, writing notes on a clipboard. The woman turned towards them slightly and perked up with a smile, tapping the man on the shoulder.

"Varrick!" she yelled above the noise. Jinora remembered her as Varrick's assistant. Zhi Lu? Zlu Hi? Something like that. "Varrick, the agents are here!"

"Oh, excellent!" Varrick's voice boomed through the megaphone right in their faces as he whirled around. Jinora winced. "Oh, sorry," Varrick flipped off the switch. "Always forget when I have this thing on. Zhu Li-" _that_ was it! "-always says I love the sound of my own voice too much. So," he grinned at them. "What're you here for?"

"Just here to make sure everything's running smoothly," answered Jinora promptly.

"Ah, you must be the Commander's daughter? Good ol' Tenzin. Nice to see you again, Jinora." Varrick looked at Kai, his jovial expression shifting to one of thoughtfulness. "Say, do I know you?"

Kai, who had been looking around the warehouse, turned his attention to Varrick and gave a quick shake of his head. "I don't think so." For some reason Kai looked a little uncomfortable.

"No, I definitely do," Varrick stared at Kai intently and then snapped his fingers right in front of Jinora's nose; she stumbled backwards slightly, startled. "That's it! You came here once, got one of my best babies, guns I mean. A nice sleek hand gun, wasn't it? Reports said you were a real sharpshooter. Never missed a head shot. Whatever happened to that gun anyway?"

Now Kai really did look uncomfortable. It was a strange expression on him, and it made Jinora feel oddly uncomfortable as well. "The Agency confiscated, after..." After his last mission, Jinora realized.

Varrick frowned slightly. "Ah, heard about that. Terrible thing. But you're back on your feet, aren't you?" He went to clap Kai on the shoulder, but thought better of it as Kai flinched - just barely, Jinora almost didn't notice it, almost small enough to be missed, but not quite - and retracted his arm, instead slinging it around his assistant's shoulders. "Well, Zhu Li and I will be happy to show you around as our honoured guests this afternoon. Right this way."

* * *

Jinora stole glances at Kai throughout Varrick's long and tedious tour, but she still made sure to pay attention. She had never thought Kai had been a hit-man, a sniper. He had never struck her as such. Then again, he had never struck her as anything other than annoying. She wondered how long his kill list was.

"And here, in our last warehouse is where the most powerful bombs are stored," Varrick announced, spreading his arms wide. They were standing on a metal platform set high above so they could look down and see the ginormous stacks of crates full of bombs. Jinora shuffled uneasily from foot to foot, but committed the warehouse number, #24, to memory anyway. "A huge shipment is going out to the Agency later today, in fact."

"Is that it?" Kai asked, rather rudely, Jinora thought, frowning.

"Eager to leave m'boy?" Varrick's smile faltered. "We should at least have you in for coffee."

"Tired, is all," Kai shrugged. Jinora rolled her eyes. The thought of going back to the hotel and curling up and taking a nice long nap was extremely tempting, but she wasn't going to entertain the idea until their job was done, good and proper, and she certainly wasn't going to be _rude_.

"Coffee can help," Varrick continued, his grin back to its original size. "Just a cup or two."

Kai frowned a little. "I think it's a type of tired coffee can't fix."

Varrick looked at loss for what to say, so Jinora interjected, "We probably should be going. We're catching an early flight tomorrow."

"Alright then, if you're sure. Zhu Li, can you escort them out for me? I have some papers to sign here."

Zhu Li jotted something down on her clipboard. "Of course, sir." She gave Kai and Jinora a small smile. "Right this way please." She led them out of the warehouse, down the dirt road with more warehouses on either side, and back towards the chain link fence. "One of the company cars will be chosen for you to take back to the hotel. An employee will travel to pick it back up afterwards. I don't want to be a bad host and leave you alone, however..." she teetered back and forth on the balls of her shoes.

"Go ahead," Kai waved his hand dismissively. "We're just waiting for a car right?"

"Correct."

"Thank you for showing us around," Jinora said. Zhu Li nodded and smiled at them before turning around and walking back towards the warehouses.

Jinora checked her watch. It was nearly 6 o'clock and her stomach grumbled quietly. Hopefully they could pick up some food at the hotel. She wondered what type of food Kai liked. Then again, what did it matter? The silence between them was heavy, her thoughts drifting off to what Varrick had said. Jinora looked at Kai, her brow furrowing. "You never said you were a hit-man," she said slowly.

Kai rolled his eyes. "You never asked." Well, she supposed that was true. "And I wasn't, not really. Or at least, I never wanted to be, I..." He shook his head. "We're not talking about this."

"But-"

"It's not happening, so drop it."

His tone wasn't threatening, if anything it was quiet and almost friendly, but there was something in his eyes that made her shut her mouth. "Fine." Was this going to be their entire partnership, Jinora wondered: him having secrets and never sharing? Then again, was she much better?

"Our ride's here," Kai pointed to the black car pulling up to them. It looked like a small black car that could sit four people in total. The driver was a bald man in sunglasses, sitting on the side of the car closest to them. He climbed out of the car and they went to open the doors and finally put their bags down.

Before they could however, two things happened very quickly: behind them, the warehouses exploded simultaneously, and in front, a few inches from their heads, the driver pulled out two guns from his belt and poked them each in the back with the cold metal tip.


	2. I: The Physics Test

Strictly Professional

* * *

 _Act I: The Beginning of the End_  
 _Chapter 2: The Physics Test_

* * *

"Don't move," the man hissed, but Jinora's limbs felt paralyzed. Behind her she could hear more explosions―more bombs going off or other weapons?―screaming and some gunfire, but she didn't dare turn around.

"Easy, no need to be so serious," Kai said quietly. "So, you with the Red Lotus?"

"I ask the questions here," the man snarled. "Now take out your phones." Jinora did so immediately, her hands trembling, although Kai took his sweet time. The man stomped on them, their screens cracked and ruined. There was no way they'd work, even if she could reach down and grab it before getting shot in the head. "Now get in the car."

Jinora took a few small shaky steps forward, but Kai didn't move. The man pressed the gun more firmly into his back and Jinora watched, wide-eyed. What was Kai doing?

"See, you're wrong about that," Kai said, and then he smacked the man in the face with his elbow before he whirled around. The man reeled backwards and Kai managed to wrestle both of his guns from his grasp. "I give the orders."

Jinora's jaw dropped and she hastily closed it. Kai handed her one of the guns. "Know how to use one?" he asked, as he kept the other against the man's head.

She fumbled with the gun. "Y-yeah," she managed out, and was about to say that she had never handled one outside of the practice firing range, but her throat was too dry to work properly. She was staring in horror at the chaos around her; great plumes of smoke were billowing up from the burning warehouses. The gunfire and screaming had ended now.

Kai stared at the man who had attacked them and promptly smashed his head against the butt of the gun. The man crumpled to the floor. Kai then followed her gaze and then bit his lip, his eyes troubled before he shut them tightly. He took a deep breath, reopening them slowly. "Get in the car."

"Shouldn't we try to―" Look for survivors? It was too terrible to say out loud.

"No," said Kai harshly. "We don't know what we're walking in to. Obviously, this was well planned. They think we're gonna be captured, so we've got a head start before they realize we're not, whoever they are. Red Lotus, probably. Besides, when they come out they're gonna have whatever remains of Varrick's weapons. So let's get out of here and contact the Agency."

It was an actually well-reasoned plan, although Jinora was reluctant to admit it. "Okay."

"First bombing?" Kai guessed, as he stepped over the man's unconscious body and taking his keys from the man's pocket before they climbed into the car. He threw his duffle bag into the back seat and Jinora did the same with her purse.

"Yeah." She got into the passenger seat, putting her gun into a storage space in the door. "Your last mission had to do with a bombing right?" She noticed his hands were shaking as he placed the key into the ignition.

"Yeah," said Kai, throwing the burning warehouses one last look. He stepped onto the gas pedal and shoved the gears into reverse, before they sped away from the Enterprises at a speed well above the limit. Dust caught up around the turning wheels as they sped down the long, empty dirt roads.

"How much of a head start do you think we have?" asked Jinora. "It'll take us over almost six hours to get back into the city by car."

"Probably half an hour," said Kai. His fingers were tapping out some kind of pattern on the steering wheel. "More or less. It won't take them too long, but they'll want to capture survivors and the weapons are their first priority."

"You seem awfully calm," Jinora said, her voice wavering. His blunt, laid back attitude was almost infuriating. Why wasn't he freaking out like she was? Or maybe it was better that he was keeping his head clear. But all she could think about was Varrick, eccentric, well-meaning Varrick, and all his workers, being blown to bits, and here was Kai, making her feel completely emotionally inadequate.

"You get used to shit like this after a while," he shrugged.

"It's a good thing Varrick's tour took so long," Jinora said thoughtfully. Her throat was still painfully dry. "Otherwise we wouldn't have been there when the bombing happened."

"Yeah, lucky us," said Kai dryly.

"D'you think that he...?" she trailed off, her voice soft and timid, even to herself.

"Survived? I doubt it. But people aren't just odds and numbers," said Kai quietly. "Still got your gun?"

She cleared her throat, trying to sound more confident. More in control. Not like a shaking, scared little girl. "Yeah."

"You're not bleeding or anything?"

"No..." Jinora glanced at him. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," he confirmed, looking almost surprised by the question. "Are you gonna be able to switch seats with me to drive in case of an emergency?" She noticed that he didn't have his seatbelt on and was about to scold him when she swallowed it. Now wasn't the time. Besides, a seat belt would just make getting into the driver's seat more complicated.

"I'll find a way," she said. She tried not to think of the possible emergency that would need it, like a car crash, or a bullet to the head. Even if she didn't like him, she didn't want him to die. Besides, then she would be all alone, and that was even more terrifying.

"Good."

There was a brief silence before Jinora broke it. "Should we go back to the hotel? Or the airport?"

"I'm sure they have people positioned there, especially at the hotel. The airport's an obvious one too. That man knew there was gonna be two of us, they probably saw us fly in, or at least come in. As soon as possible we should ditch this car and get a new one." He put on the breaks once a few more cars joined their road, and then lane, on the very outer rim of the city.

Jinora reached for and fiddled with the knob that controlled the radio. "Maybe they're reporting something about it," she said when Kai gave her a questioning glance.

"Doubt it. It happened too recently." Jinora didn't stop turning the knob. It was a good distraction, because all she could seem to think about was Varrick and everyone else, trapped in rubble. The fire. The screaming. A lump formed in her throat. "But fine," Kai muttered. "Go ahead and waste your time."

Jinora threw him a sharp look, removing her hand from the dial and crossing her arms over her chest. " _Ugh_ , you are so..."

"Amazing? Awe-inspiring?"

"Neither. You're an asshole."

He rolled his eyes. "You're no picnic yourself, sweetheart. Besides, if it wasn't for me, you'd be tied up and gagged in the back of this truck being handed on a silver platter to the Red Lotus."

Jinora didn't want to admit to the truth in his words. "At least I can take orders."

Kai snorted. "Yeah, from the enemy."

"Oh just shut up," she rubbed the spot above her left eyebrow, feeling a headache coming on. "I'm too tired for this."

"Oh, _you're_ too tired?" Kai spared her a quick glance. "Sweetheart, you don't know the meaning of the word tired."

"Don't call me sweetheart," she scowled. But Kai did look tired. The sky had darkened drastically, although that was just what early October was like. The street lamps and car lights cast shadows over his face, and caused the bags under his eyes to be even more prominent. "How much sleep did you get last night?" She was sure, with her just short of seven hours, she had gotten more.

They took a turn to the left, back towards the city, even if it was still six hours away. Hardly anyone who worked in the city lived this far out from it, so the streets were gradually emptying of vehicles.

"Dunno," said Kai indifferently, shrugging. "Two hours. Probably less. Believe it or not that's a good night's rest for me."

He made a right turn, then right again, as the car drove down another few streets. They were clearly in the poorer area of the town, as they drove past a store with bars on over windows that were broken anyway, and then a strip club blaring music loud enough they could still hear the pounding of the drums.

Kai frowned at her. "Why're you asking?"

"Next stop, for gas or whatever, I get to drive."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say it almost sounded like you were worried about me or something," he said quietly.

"Worried about you falling asleep and crashing into something? Yes," Jinora answered shortly.

Kai almost smiled. "You're a real piece of work, sweetheart, you know that?"

"Just shut up and drive," she said sourly. "And don't call me sweetheart."

They were slowly cruising through the dark, deserted streets, and paused at a red light when Jinora noticed a car behind them in the rearview mirror. It was a black, 4-seater, identical to their own. "Uh...I think we've got company."

Kai glanced behind them. "Shit―get down―"

"What―"

Jinora looked over her shoulder and then ducked, forcing her head towards her knees. A bullet wedged itself into the back window of their car, cracking the glass. The light turned green. Kai slammed on the breaks and they careened in a sharp left turn, narrowly missing another car that had to swerve to avoid them. The owner of said vehicle angrily honked their horn, but Jinora didn't pay them any attention as the black car was still following them.

Breathing heavily, she cautiously raised her head.

"Well they've caught up with us," Kai seethed. "Ready to use that gun of yours?" He did a quick U-turn, hoping to throw off their stalkers, but they simply did the same, causing two other cars to crash into each other, doing a little spin. Kai swore again. "Gyatso, the gun?"

"Oh, right." Jinora reached for the storage slot in the door and pulled out the gun. Her fingers trembled as she hooked her index finger over the trigger. She carefully rolled down the window and dared to poke her head outside. She immediately withdrew as a bullet whizzed by and smashed the right mirror of their car. At least the driver was the shooter, and from his angle he couldn't get a great shot at her side of the car. She couldn't see anyone else in the car.

Kai made a hard turn right. "Know any short cuts?"

They were in a deserted part of the outer rim of the city now, so Jinora found a tiny piece of comfort in knowing she didn't have to worry about accidentally shooting someone. If she would even get the chance to take a shot, as bullet after bullet whizzed by her and Kai's windows, lodging into the back window of their car. Only a few more hits and their back windshield would break and then where would they be? Sitting ducks, ripe for the picking.

"Make a turn here," Jinora jabbed her finger towards the right, and then stuck her head out of the car. She took a shaky shot and the bullet that flew from her gun smashed into the side of the windshield closest to the driver.

Kai made a sharp turn towards the right, and then, seeing the sudden back-up further down the road, swerved into an alleyway. Jinora's stomach lurched along with the vehicle as Kai whipped the car around; they had come into a narrow, dead-end alleyway. There was a high, brick wall blocking them in. But now at least, they were properly facing the only available exit.

The headlights of the other car blinded her as it roared into the alleyway. Luckily, the distance between the buildings was large enough that Jinora could see a tiny sliver of hope.

"The driver's right handed," she said simply.

"So?" said Kai irritably.

"So he'll turn to the right on instinct," Jinora continued. "You ever play chicken?" She never had, but classmates in high school had, with cars, skateboards, anything really. They'd run towards each other and try not to turn away to avoid a collision; whoever did turn away was the chicken, or loser, of the game. It was dangerous and crazy and stupid...and their only hope.

Kai gaped at her. "You cannot be serious."

"Just turn when I say."

"And what if they turn the wrong way? Or don't turn at all?" he snapped.

"They'll turn...we're dead either way," she reasoned.

Kai gently eased his foot onto the gas pedal. "Fine. But we die, I'm going to kill you."

"Easy there, it's amazing I haven't strangled you yet," she replied. The car slowly sped up―she was thankful it was such a long alleyway―as the other black car began to do the same. "Now turn only when I say―"

"You don't exactly have the best reflexes," Kai snarked.

"But I know physics better than you do," she shot back. "So turn on my count." Both cars were picking up speed, only 20 feet away, then 15.

"He's not turning," mumbled Kai.

"He'll turn." Jinora forced herself to sound confident.

10 feet, 5. Still nothing. Any second they were going to crash, and she could see the driver's face draining of colour, and then watched it harden. He seemed determined to keep going, to not jerk away. Jinora swallowed hard.

"He's not turning," Kai said, his voice going a little high pitched with panic. He was clutching the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles were turning white.

"He's going to turn," Jinora said through gritted teeth. Then she saw the other car might the slightest movement towards the left, saw their opening. "Turn, _now_!"

Swearing under his breath, Kai pitched the car towards the left, at the same time the other car swerved towards the right. Kai spun the wheel back towards the right so they didn't slam into the wall of the alleyway; their left hand-mirror hit the wall and snapped off, the paint being scraped off as the car shuddered along the wall, and the side of the other black car. It made a shrieking noise, like nails on a chalkboard. Finally, they slid past and out back into the open road.

 _"Holy shit_ ," Kai breathed, his eyes wide. "We're alive." Their car made another U-turn and sped through the yellow light, cars honking angrily behind them.

"Told you so," said Jinora, trying to sound smug, even if her voice wavered. She had started to lose faith in her own plan, but luckily, it had worked. Luckily, Kai had trusted her.

They made a few more turns and Jinora didn't see the black car at all; clearly, they had either lost it or it had been too damaged to try to follow them.

"So, what now?" asked Kai.

"Payphone," Jinora spotted one next to a gas-station and a little convenience store. Across the street was a pizza place; her stomach grumbled loudly. "And food."

"Sounds good to me."


	3. I: Pizza and Payphones

STRICTLY PROFESSIONAL

* * *

Act I: The Beginning of the End  
Chapter 3: Pizza and Payphones

* * *

They bought the pizza first. In their defense, they needed the change _for_ the payphone to even be used. Jinora fished some quarters out of her jean pocket and slid it into the thin metal slot. She was just grateful this place still had a payphone, as they were quickly dying out. Kai was sitting beside her, chowing down on the pizza (half pepperoni, half-veggie lovers), a hand still lightly resting on his gun.

The phone rang once, then twice, and then went dead. It hadn't worked. She was sure she had put in the right number. Had something happened at the Agency? What if there had been bombings too? Or did they just not have a good enough signal, wherever they were? Where were they exactly? "Fong, do you know where we are?"

"Outer rim of Republic City, southern Iluq District," said Kai, before taking a big bite of his pizza, and Jinora worried that if she kept holding this stupid phone that didn't even work she'd start crying. She hung the phone back on the hook and blinked rapidly, grateful that Kai was studying their pizza with the utmost fascination. Maybe he wasn't quite as rude as she had thought.

Kai chanced a look at her after a moment and cleared his throat. "So, uh, anyway, it might be smart to head back to Varrick Enterprises to check things out. See if there are any survivors, if the Red Lotus is involved. Then we can go forward and move further into the city."

"See if we can make it back to HQ," added Jinora, and Kai nodded.

"We can drive through the night, get to Varrick's around midnight, wait around for an hour and then head back into the city for the long-haul," Kai summed up their plan.

Jinora closed up the pizza box and tucked it under her arm. "D'you think we should try and steal a car, or keep the one we have? They might think we're just one of them, after all, it could work as camouflage."

Kai looked at his watch. It was nearly 7 o'clock, and they were clearly in for a long night. "I'm too tired to think about stealing a car," he shrugged. "Let's just get going."

He opened the door and climbed into the driver's seat, Jinora sliding into the passenger's before setting the still half-full pizza box on her lap. He reversed the car, and then they glided out of the small gas station/pizza place and out onto the dark city road. It was fairly empty, since rush hour had ended almost an hour ago and most people were home. Jinora thought longingly of her apartment in the city, with her bed and her books and the peace and quiet.

She distracted herself by finishing off another piece of pizza. Kai kept his eyes on the road, barely even glancing at her, which suited her just fine. Still, she felt jittery, even as the adrenaline slowly began to wear off, and she kept reaching for her phone before remembering it wasn't there. It was back at Varrick Enterprises, broken and pushed into the dirt. If anything had happened at the Raava Agency, if anything had happened to her father...

She glared at the window, her eyes unusually bright.

"Er, hey..." Jinora looked at Kai, who seemed equally surprised that he had spoken. He ran his fingers over the steering wheel for a moment. "I, uh, I'm sure your dad's okay," he said finally.

"Oh..." She cleared her throat. "Y-yeah." She wanted to say thank you, but the words got stuck in her throat. Kai seemed to understand, because he didn't say anything, and kept his eyes firmly on the road. It gave her time to wipe her eyes and compose herself. She was grateful for it, placing her elbow on the hard rim of the car door and resting her cheek upon the palm of her hand, her eyes fluttering to a close as the city lights and dark streets sped by in a blur.

Jinora hadn't even realized she had fallen asleep until she felt the car make a tight left turn and her head bumped lightly against the window. Blinking blearily, she glanced at the clock, seeing that it had was close to midnight now. They were out of the rim of the city, driving along a dark stretch of dirt road that looked vaguely familiar. They couldn't have been far from Varrick's warehouses.

She frowned over at Kai. "You were supposed to let me drive," she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

"I'm fine. I'm used to this," Kai shrugged. "You're not. I was about to wake you, anyway, since we're almost there."

Jinora's arm wormed around the passenger seat and grabbed her purse from the back, as well as hooking her fingers around the strap of Kai's duffle bag. She pulled them both towards the front, keeping her purse on her lap and dropping Kai's bag near her feet, before grabbing her gun from the storage slot of the car door.

"Besides, I'm a much better driver than you," continued Kai, and whatever sympathy she may or may not have been feeling evaporated.

"You're insufferable," grumbled Jinora, rolling her eyes.

She kept her eyes trained ahead of her, the headlights of the car illuminating only a few feet ahead at a time as the car rolled down the dirt road. After another half hour of silence, the sign with blinking letters reading _VARRICK ENTERPRISES: NO TRESPASSING._ The _N_ had gone dark, and lifeless, like the looming warehouses beyond it. Smoke curled up into the sky, remnants blocking out the stars and streaked across the moon.

"I don't see anything..." said Kai slowly, squinting through the darkness. He turned off the car lights as he parked the car outside the tall chain-link fence, not wanting to give any signs that they were here. "Pass me my duffle bag."

"Would it kill you to say please?" muttered Jinora, but she leaned over and grabbed his duffle bag anyway, throwing it lightly onto his lap. He unzipped it and pulled out a flashlight, flicking it on.

"Take my gun too," said Kai, holding it out to her.

"Why?" demanded Jinora, narrowing her eyes. Shouldn't he have a weapon on him too?

He rolled his eyes. "Because if anyone's out there they're gonna see the light and shoot me first, so it's smarter for you to have both weapons," he explained. "You gonna take it or not?" He kept the gun held out towards her.

Jinora suddenly felt stupid, and mean. He was taking the bigger risk after all, even if he probably was more capable of dealing with the consequences, as much as she hated to admit it. "Oh...okay."

She reached out for the grip of the gun, her fingers brushing against his. His hand lingered as he made sure she had a good hold on it, the pads of his fingers rough and warm. "See, was that so hard?" Kai asked her, as he took his hand away.

Jinora stared at her fingers, trying to figure out why there was slight tingle on them. Was it from supporting her face during her nap? Although it didn't quite feel like pins-and-needles.

"Gyatso?"

"Hmm?" She looked up at Kai, realizing she had kind of zoned out.

Sighing, he turned away from her. "Hopeless," he muttered under his breath.

At that, she turned away from him, looking out to the other side of the warehouses for any sign of activity. "Wow, thanks," she rolled her eyes. "So, we just wait now?"

"Yup," Kai popped the 'p'. "You must have learned about stakeouts in training."

"Yes," said Jinora dryly. "I graduated training at the top of my class, actually." She hadn't meant to sound so bitter.

"Why'd you end up at a desk job then?" asked Kai, glancing at her.

Jinora crossed her arms over her chest. "My father. I had to fight tooth and nail just to apply for training. He's so overprotective, I know he means well, but..." she sighed. The only reason the Commander had even given in, in the end, was due to her credits. Her grades were top notch, she had become a black belt in Baguazhang, and he wasn't allowed to deny her on the basis of her being family. Lots of spies (those who lived long enough to have children, of course) came from a long line of agents, a way to keep it all in "the family business". There was no point in risking more people and families than necessary.

Yet despite the danger, Jinora had never wanted anything so bad. She just hadn't wanted a situation like this to happen, or at least not so quickly. Part of her felt like she'd been thrown headfirst into the deep-end after only learning how to swim in the shallow end, yet was being expected not to drown.

"We should take sleeping shifts, while we wait," said Kai, and Jinora couldn't find anything against the idea. Even after her nap, she still felt tired, yet buzzing with anticipation; what she was waiting for, she wasn't sure exactly.

"I'll take the first watch," she offered.

Kai shook his head. "Nah, I wouldn't be able to sleep anyway."

She frowned at him, but his rigid posture made it clear he wasn't going to change his mind. Sighing, she undid her seat belt and turned on her side, tucking herself into the chair and folding her legs underneath herself. "Why are you a borderline insomniac anyway?" she asked, stifling a yawn.

Kai started tapping on the steering wheel. "It's not falling asleep that's the problem, it's staying asleep," he shrugged. "You wouldn't understand, you're just a newbie."

"Try me," Jinora replied.

Kai rolled his eyes. "Why do you care so much?"

"I don't," she said quickly. "I'm just curious-"

"Listen, it's late, do you want to be dead tired or not?" he snapped.

Jinora sighed and looked away from him. "Fine, Mr. GrumpyPants."

He gawked at her. "I am not grumpy," he muttered under his breath. "And how old are you anyway, five?" he added.

"24, actually," she corrected him. "You?"

"25, so respect your elders." She thought his lips might have twitched upwards.

"Not when they have the attention span of a 7-year-old," she said with a slight smile that Kai briefly returned.

"Get some sleep," he advised. "We're in for a long night. I'll wake you up in a couple of hours, okay?"

Jinora nodded her consent and turned so her back was to him, away from the sign of blinking letters and his flashlight. She could vaguely make out her reflection in their remaining right side mirror: she looked tired, her brown hair unkempt and coming out of its usual tight bun, her fingers closed tightly around the holes of her sleeves. The darkness of the window started to blur as her eyelids drooped. The car was cold, as Kai had turned off the engine, so she pulled her jacket tighter around her.

* * *

 _October 7, 1:56 am. Southern Outer Rim of Republic City, VARRICK ENTERPRISES._

* * *

There was a gentle nudge to her waist. "Gyatso, wake up." Kai's voice was a whisper, so Jinora cautiously blinked the sleep out of her eyes and shifted into a sitting position.

"My turn to keep watch?" she yawned.

"No, I thought I saw something," said Kai slowly. "It's possible it's Red Lotus activity. Pass me my gun." As Jinora did so, he flicked off the flashlight with his other hand, bathing them in darkness. It took a few seconds for Jinora's eyes to adjust, and then she saw Kai reach for the handle of the car door, and panic gripped her as he cracked the door open slightly.

She grabbed at his arm closest to her to stop him. "What are you doing?" she hissed in a low voice.

Kai shrugged off her hand. "Going to poke around, relax, it'll be fine."

"I don't think that's a very good idea," she said sourly.

"Alright, well," said Kai cheerfully. "You can stay here, in the dark car all alone and wait for me to come back, if I ever do, or, you can come with me and we can tackle whatever we meet together." He raised his eyebrows at her. "So, which is it?"

Jinora bit her lip, and then glared at him, grabbing her gun. "I really, really hate you." She grabbed the handle of her car and turned it, opening the door a bit more roughly than she probably needed to, but made sure to close it quietly as Kai got out from the other side, slinging his duffle bag around his shoulders and pocketing the car keys. Jinora slid the strap of her purse over her shoulder, and then shared a glance with him as she sighed, letting him lead the way.

There was no light coming from the warehouses, but the stars and moon did help to illuminate the now crumbling buildings, and some of the largest piles of debris and bricks scattered all over the pathways leading to the various warehouses.

"Watch your step," Kai warned, as they crept closer to the gates. The keypad that had been used to open them had been smashed, the gates now swung fully open.

Jinora yelped in pain as she stubbed her toe on a stray collection of bricks, and Kai quickly shushed her. "Excuse me for being in pain," she muttered, her stride overtaking his so that now she was in the lead. She didn't really know where she was going, but it made it much easier to glare at him.

"I told you to watch where you're walking."

"Like I can see anything when it's this dark outside."

"Hey, _I_ can see just fine-" Kai cursed as he stumbled, and Jinora caught him by his forearms. He looked up at her, not used to be shorter than her, and surprised at her strength as she helped him back onto his feet, and then quickly let of his arms.

"So, what were you saying again?" she smirked.

Kai's face felt hot. "Oh shut up." As Jinora's smirk grew, he rolled his eyes. "Let's just keep moving," he said decidedly, and Jinora bit back a laugh as he led the way. It was a light, warm sort of sound, breaking through the otherwise eerie silence, and Kai appreciated it for that reason only. Spy or not, the desolate, charred warehouses were creeping him out _._ He should have been used to being alone, but it was a relief to know he wasn't all by himself right now.

Especially when he heard footsteps to his left, the dim clunk of bricks knocking against each other. His finger lightly slid over the trigger of his gun as he lifted it slightly. He glanced back for a moment to check Jinora was holding her gun properly - and indeed she was - before turning back to face the front. He shifted his weight into a slight crouch, Jinora doing the same behind him as they took cautious steps towards the source of the noise.

Jinora's throat was dry as she swallowed hard. What if it was Red Lotus agents? Two of them against multiple spies didn't stand much of a chance. Her eyes darted from the dark doorways and windows of the warehouses around them, glancing behind her shoulder every so often. She was watching Kai's back, but she also needed to watch her own.

Then, near a large cluster of bricks, a figure shot out of the dark, a glint of a silver pistol, the glimpse of a face and then Jinora heard two gunshots in quick succession. Jinora tucked herself behind Kai, as the figure dove out of the way of Kai's bullets and rolled into a crouching position, as Kai directed the beams of the flashlight over to their face, and wide eyes.

Breathing heavily, Varrick's assistant Zhu Li rose up from the ground, hands raised in surrender, her gun going limp in her hand. Kai didn't lower his gun. "Zhu Li?"

"Don't shoot," said Zhu Li quietly, yet without fear. "We don't want to make anymore noise." There were a few scrapes on her face, bags under her eyes, and her formerly pristine dress was dirty, but other than that she seemed okay. Jinora felt a rush of relief, and looked up at Kai curiously; why wasn't he lowering his gun?

"What happened after the bombing?" Kai demanded, keeping his voice low.

"Chaos. Hundreds of employees were dead within minutes. Luckily, thanks to Varrick's eccentricities, I had installed an emergency bunker. Varrick and I and all the surviving employees who weren't dead or captured are still there. The bombers took all the weapons not stored in the bunker and drove off just about five hours ago. We weren't sure if any were still around, so we took some time to stake the area out," Zhu Li explained. "Now, would you lower the gun?"

Slowly, Kai did as she asked. "Okay. Take us to the bunker then, we need to figure things out."

Zhu Li raised her eyebrows but didn't say anything, merely exchanging a look with Jinora. "He never says please," the agent shrugged with a frown.

"What, I-" Kai spluttered, but Jinora and Zhu Li ignored him.

Zhu Li strode confidently through the darkness, with Kai's flashlight partially illuminating the way. It was due to this that Jinora stayed close to his side, not wanting to trip or stub her toe again on any stray bricks. Besides, there was safety in numbers, and she hadn't realized just how good his reflexes were until a threat had actually been present.

Zhu Li led them over to a crumbling wall near the edge of the property, closest to the entrance, and then, beyond that was a pair of brass handles sticking up out of the dirt and sparse patches of grass. Zhu Li gripped the handles and yanked the doors open, the edges blending in seamlessly with the ground. A steep staircase with faint light at the bottom led deeper into the ground.

Kai glanced back at Jinora. "Ladies first, sweetheart."

"What a gentleman," she said sarcastically, but she went ahead of him anyway.

Once she reached the bottom of the stairs she could hear hushed voices, wisps of conversation too quiet to actually decode. There was only one door, the handle only a few feet away, so she turned it and stepped into the bunker's main room. It was a long, wide room, as wide as the warehouses had been tall. Numerous beds and sleeping bags were set up along the floor, all of them occupied by workers. The room was filled with employees, all looking a little worse for wear.

Varrick, standing a few beds over, looked especially ragged, his hair and clothing disheveled. His face lit up at the sight of Kai and Jinora. "Ah, excellent, we weren't sure if you'd been captured or not. Well, we have a phone in the back and I'm sure it'll be easy for you to contact the Agency now."

Kai and Jinora stared at him. "You haven't already called them?" they asked at the same time, and then looked at each other, surprised.

"It's a secret bunker!" Varrick waved his arms around like a madman and nearly hit Jinora in the face; Kai grabbed her wrist and tugged her out of the way just in time. "We don't exactly have a phone book down here and the Agency doesn't know our number, and I can't memorize theirs! I have more important things to do, like finding new ways to make things go ka-boom - intentionally, of course."

"Of course," said Kai dryly, and Jinora smiled a slightly.

"Alright," Jinora clasped her hands together. "So, where is the phone? We should check in and figure out what's going on."

"Right this way," said Zhu Li, directing them to over the wall nearest to them. There was an old fashioned phone hanging off the wall like a payphone.

Jinora quickly dialed the Agency's number, and felt a rush of relief when her father's voice crackled through the speaker. "Dad? I-I mean, Commander Gyatso-"

"Thank goodness you're alright," said Tenzin, and then cleared his throat, suddenly professional again.

 _Like father like daughter,_ Kai thought, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms over his chest.

Jinora gave the quickest synopsis of events she could, while not leaving anything out. Her summary skills were top notch, Kai had to admit, even if her battle skills were not. That'd come in time, though, Kai knew. She'd hit her prime, flawlessly executing moves and fighting styles, completing missions with ease, before her nerves got shot, and her hands would start shaking, and the doctors would give a diagnosis of PTSD, or insomnia, and then… She'd end up like him.

But he was fine. Really.

Kai tuned into the conversation once Jinora had finished, a slight lull while the Commander took a moment to collect his thoughts. "The airports will go on temporary lockdown, and we can't wait that long. Get a car and come back to the Agency. Reinforcements will be sent to Varrick's Warehouses to evacuate everyone else. Rest for the night, and head out in the morning. Report back when you can."

"We will," said Jinora. "We'll see you in two days tops, Commander." Jinora hung up first, placing the phone back in its slot. She took a deep, shaky breath, her eyes glistening for a moment as she turned back to Kai, Varrick and Zhu Li.

"We can make accommodations for the night," said Zhu Li briskly. "Right this way please." Zhu Li led them down past at least 30 beds and another 20 sleeping bags, to where a few of the latter were tucked away against the back wall. "I'm sorry it is so mediocre-"

"It's fine," said Jinora hurriedly. "Thank you."

She slipped into her sleeping bag, tugging off her jacket and bunching it together to use it as a makeshift pillow. Kai moved far more slowly, and she saw his eyes lingering on the exit of the room before he finally settled down. Now that the employees around them knew help was on the way, most of them were starting to settle down for the night as well, or at least quiet down. Jinora herself didn't feel too tired, having had her naps, but she noticed how sluggish Kai's movements seemed to be. Or they weren't quite as fast as they usually were, although how well she could really make that judgement, she wasn't sure. She had only known him for nearly two days, after all.

"Hey Fong," she said quietly. Kai rolled over on his side to look at her, raising an eyebrow. She bit her lip, suddenly feeling kind of stupid, but she ploughed ahead anyway. "Get some sleep. I can't have you passing out tomorrow or something, and undermining the mission."

Her interest in his wellbeing was strictly professional, of course, but she had to make sure that he, the terrible flirt that he could be, didn't interpret it as anything else. She didn't care about him and he didn't care about her, and as partners, it would be best if it stayed that way. Hopefully their partnership wouldn't last very long.

Kai nearly smiled. "Of course, Gyatso." He rolled over and kept his back to her, and well, that was that.

Jinora simply sighed, and then resolved to at least try to get some rest. She hoped Kai was doing the same.


	4. I: Red Lights

Chapter 4: Red Lights

* * *

 _October 7th, 7:59 AM. Southern Outer Rim of Republic City, VARRICK ENTERPRISES_

* * *

When Jinora woke up, Kai's sleeping bag was empty. He must have already been up, she figured. Blasted insomniac. Blinking the sleep out of her eyes, she looked at her watch to check the time. An early start couldn't hurt, could it? Yawning, she dragged herself out of the sleeping bag and pulled on her jacket, leaning against the wall as she stood up. Most of the employees were still getting some well-deserved rest.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard Kai's voice say, "Gyatso," extremely close to her ear. She whirled around to face him, frowning.

"Don't get so close like that, you startled me," she scolded, her brow creasing.

Kai held up his hands in mock surrender, before sticking them in the pockets of his jacket. His duffle bag was slung over one shoulder. "Sorry," he said, frowning. "Just wanted to see if you were up. Are you ready to go?"

She grabbed her bag, quickly checking to make sure she had everything she needed, her fingers closing around the hilt of her gun for a moment before releasing. "Think so...Yeah. Let's get going."

Jinora was glad she managed to dodge Varrick's overenthusiastic attempt at a hug when they said goodbye to her and Zhu Li, and even the eccentric inventor seemed to realize that even a simple hug was not something Kai would appreciate, so Varrick simply beamed at him.

"Take care of yourselves," said Zhu Li with the tiniest of smiles. "A vehicle is waiting for you outside, with some money in the glove compartment."

Jinora nodded in thanks, and then she and Kai headed out of the secret compound, moving cautiously once they reached the surface. The sky was streaked with grey, clouds rolling low over the horizon.

"Looks like rain," noted Jinora, glancing up before they walked over vehicle parked nearby. The keys were lying on the hood.

"You're a ray of sunshine," remarked Kai dryly, grabbing the keys. He opened the car and went to get into the driver's seat when she shook her head, sliding in between him and the door when he took a step forward anyway. "Would you just let me in?"

"Nope," said Jinora firmly. "I'm driving this time."

Kai rolled his eyes and reached for the handle, his fingers closing around it, but when he went to turn it, Jinora clamped her hand over his, holding it in place. "Gyatso you're being ridiculous-"

"How much sleep did you get last night?" she demanded, not budging.

He scowled, looking away from her and shaking his head. "Why does it matter―"

"How much sleep did you get last night?" she repeated, her eyes softening as she noticed the bags under his own had only gotten worse, and it only strengthened her resolve.

His grip on the handle loosened, and he slipped his hand out from under Jinora's. "Damn your stubbornness, fine, drive. It's not like it'll make a difference anyway." He went to turn away when Jinora's fingers closed around his wrist, tugging him back to her, a bit more harshly than she meant to. She hadn't expected him to move so fluidly. She hadn't expected his body to end up flush against hers. Kai seemed just as surprised as she was, at the warmth of his body and vice versa.

Jinora's throat went dry, but then she swallowed as Kai took a step away. "You still didn't answer my question," she said, raising a hand to poke him in the chest, but she really didn't want to have anymore physical contact with him.

Kai glared at her. "Four hours," he snapped, "you happy now, _partner_?"

He pushed himself away from her and this time when he crossed to the other side of the car, she didn't stop him. He got into the passenger seat as she slid into the driver's, twisting the key into the ignition slot. "That can't be healthy," said Jinora softly, as they drove out of the estate for the second time in 24 hours, past the signs the chainlink fence.

"I never said that it was," Kai grumbled, staring out the window. He didn't seem to want to look at her. "Look, Gyatso, the truth is you don't understand anything―"

"I understand more than you think I do," said Jinora. "I studied psychology in high school and university."

"Reading textbooks and being a psychiatrist are two very different things," said Kai, reaching for the radio knobs. He turned out and an upbeat pop song floated through the speakers.

Jinora made a clucking noise with her tongue between her teeth. So much of mainstream music had terrible lyrics fastened to a catchy but quickly annoying beat; her younger sister Ikki loved all the most popular artists, and Jinora thought if she had to hear one more crooning heartthrob love song she'd beat her brains out. This disco-tech dance music Kai seemed to like wasn't much better.

Sighing, Jinora twisted the knob and after going through a few stations, managed to land on a classical music station. "Much better," she muttered, and then frowned when she caught the glare Kai was shooting at her. "What? This is far more relaxing. You might actually be able to sleep."

"This is grandma music," said Kai. "How can you actually listen to this stuff?"

"It's art."

"It's _boring._ "

"Fine," Jinora twisted the knob again. "No music then."

There was silence for a few hours. After all the chaos of the previous day, and knowing now they had a plan in motion, Jinora found comfort in it. She couldn't stop herself from humming softly, a familiar tune of Bach's, when another noise broke the silence: Kai let out a little snuffle, and Jinora realized he had fallen asleep.

Jinora glanced over at him; his forehead was resting against the window, his chin pressing into his raised shoulder, the other sloping downwards to compensate, and he looked...peaceful. He seemed younger too, closer to her age. He wasn't scanning the room for exits, or drumming nervously, or keeping a finger on the trigger of his gun. Not for the first time, she wondered exactly what had happened to him. His last mission surely had affected him badly, but how deep did that damage go?

He wasn't annoying either, which Jinora figured because had his mouth shut. Well, maybe that was little mean. He wasn't always annoying. Defensive, or rude, or even, kind of tactful, and nice. Either way, he was confusing all of the time. Jinora was used to being a good judge of her character, being able to figure out people the way children did with puzzles, but Kai alluded her. Just when she thought she was going to figure him out... But maybe, in time she would. If they survived, and if their partnership did, assuming they didn't strangle each other first.

Jinora realized that Kai's eyes were fluttering open, and turned her gaze to the road a second too late.

Groggily, Kai sat up and blinked the sleep out his eyes, squinting at her. "Were you watching me sleep?"

"What?" Jinora's cheeks were burning. "No!"

"You totally were. You're so weird." Kai looked strangely amused though.

"Look," said Jinora through gritted teeth. "I wasn't _watching,_ I was just trying to see if I could figure out why you have so much trouble sleeping in the first place."

Kai's amusement faded from his face. "This again? I don't see why you care so much."

"I just don't want you messing up because you're tired and jeopardizing the mission, alright? When you're tired you're not as alert or as fast, you're not us capable―"

"Sweetheart, I'm plenty capable," said Kai smoothly. "If anyone's not, it's you. Have you ever thought maybe you're not cut out for the whole combat part of the field?" He glanced at her, looking her up and down. "You're pretty tiny."

"I'm not tiny!" said Jinora indignantly, frowning. She was a few inches shorter than him, tops, and sure, she was slimmer, but he wasn't exactly ripped either. (Although she suspected that came from his loss of muscle mass during his time in recuperation.) She scowled at him. "And anyway, appearances can be deceiving. I'll have you know, I've been doing martial arts since I was 11, and I was at the top in my class when it came to sparring―"

Kai snorted. "Sparring matches are different than real-life-or-death fights. Sparring's a lot like being in a tame gang fight, actually, as long as you know what you're doing."

Jinora raised her eyebrows. "You've been in gang fights?"

"Well yeah," Kai shrugged, and scowled at the look on her face. That better have not been a trace of pity in her eyes. "Lots of foster kids end up in less than ideal situations, y'know."

"You were a foster kid?"

"Are you going to repeat everything I say?" said Kai irritably.

"No," Jinora mumbled, looking down. "Sorry…so, foster care?"

"Yeah. I bet you're loving what your partner's cracked up to be, hmm? Ex-gang member, foster kid, high school dropout too." Kai gave her a strained smile. "Yeah, I'm a real winner. What about you? Lemme guess. Ms. Straight A's, expensive private school, huge overachiever, daddy's little darling?"

"Which isn't everything it's cracked up to be either," Jinora spat. "Look, just do us both a favour and shut up if you're just going to insult me."

"Fine by me," Kai grumbled.

There was a long sentence, before Jinora said, "I'm sorry. For―for whatever you're going through, I'm sorry." She glanced at him quickly before focussing back on the road.

Kai just stared stonily out of the window, looking away from her. "That's why everyone says, and I'm sick and tired of hearing it. I don't want your apology―I don't want your goddamn pity."

"It's not pity," she corrected him. "It's sympathy."

"What's the difference?" he snapped, and she let out a long, low exhale through her teeth.

"Never mind."

Neither of them spoke again until the sun started dipping towards the horizon, pulling the darkness along with it. By that time they had stopped for a quick bite to eat and switched seats so that Jinora had gotten a few hours of sleep while Kai drove. The street lamps flickered on when Jinora noticed the hand of their gas dial was starting to follow the sun's path: they were nearly empty.

"We need to stop for gas," she told him, and for once, perhaps because indisputable proof was staring him right in the face, Kai didn't argue with her.

They pulled over at the nearest gas station, with one lone car already there. Jinora got out to put the gas nozzle into the designated slot of their car, surprised when Kai climbed out after her. She watched as he walked halfway to the small convenience store, then paused midway and dug his hand inside his pocket before fishing out a few bills.

"What are you getting?" Jinora asked.

He glanced at her, and then frowned. "Cigarettes."

Jinora threw him a look. "You shouldn't smoke," she scolded.

"It's none of your damn business what I do."

"But it's bad for you―"

Kai rolled his eyes. "That's kind of the point." He headed into the store before she could say anything else, and Jinora let out a huff, watching as their car filled up with gas. Once it was finished, she put the nozzle back in its slot and crossed her arms over her chest, waiting for him to come out, and after another minute or so, that was exactly what Kai did.

His package of cigarettes was just peeking out of his coat pocket, Jinora noted, inwardly stewing. If he tried to smoke inside the car, she didn't care how much the pack had cost him; she'd chuck it out the window. If he wanted to endanger his health, he could go ahead, but hers? Forget about it.

 _BANG!_

Kai practically jumped out of his skin as the other car roared in a backfire, and then sputtered quietly as the owner got out to take a look at it. Jinora looked away from the car and turned her attention to Kai, who was crouching on the ground, reaching for his package of cigarettes. "Dropped 'em," he mumbled, rising back to his feet and seeing her questioning look. It wasn't like him to have butter fingers. He put the package in his coat pocket, and then reached for the door handle of the driver's seat.

His hands were violently shaking.

"I'll drive," she said suddenly.

He raised his eyebrows, and fumbled with pulling the door handle, his fingers slipping. "You were driving earlier, though, so―"

Jinora reached over and placed her steady hand over his trembling one, curling her fingers over his grip on the handle. "I'll drive," she repeated, more softly.

Kai looked at her, frowning, and then visibly softened, before sighing through his nose. "Fine. Have it your way." He wrenched his hand out from under hers and slid into the passenger seat, still fidgety.

She drove for a long time either of them said a word, the night hanging over their heads. This close to the city, she could only just make out the stars, but knew as they got closer the air pollution would become too much. She wondered if something along those lines had happened to Kai, that what he had been through hadn't affected him all that much, and then suddenly it was overwhelming.

She thought about his behaviour while they drove in silence that wasn't exactly companionable, but not uncomfortable either, and after comparing it with what she had learned in school, she thought she had a pretty good idea of what it all meant. She cleared her throat and Kai just glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, before looking out the window again, disinterested.

That had been about what she had expected, so she continued on, undeterred. "I know you have PTS―"

Kai's head whipped over to look at her, his eyes wide. "Don't say it," he said sharply. " _Don't_. You don't understand, you don't understand trauma, and if you say it out loud..." his voice turned quiet. "It makes it real." Jinora didn't know what to say to that, so she just pursed her lips and stared at the road stretching out in front of her.

Finally, in a voice very unlike anything she had heard from him before, Kai croaked out, "What gave it away?"

She glanced at him. "Everything, pretty much. But mostly your insomnia, and your reaction to the car backfiring. It does sound like a gun," she admitted a little uneasily. "If I hadn't become an Agent, I probably would have gone in psychology. You ever been to therapy?"

"Yeah. It's the main reason I was in recuperation for so damn long," Kai grumbled. "Load of good that did me."

"Well, you were pretty badly injured, right?" Her eyes flickered in between him and the road. She could remember the explosion of rumours that had followed his mission, all sorts of tall tales.

His tone was clipped as he replied, "Yeah. I was."

She knew it wasn't the time to ask more questions, or God forbid, press him for answers, so she let out a little sigh and focussed on driving as they made their way into the city. The streets around them were soon congested with traffic, the blinking and beeping of everything making Republic City hum with life.

They had just exited one of the busiest streets onto a darker, deserted one, only 20 minutes away from the Raava Agency's HQ when Kai spoke up. "Hey uh," he rubbed the back of his neck. "Thanks. For driving."

She looked at him, surprised, but he was still looking away from her. She stared at him a moment longer, her eyes softening. "I just didn't want us to get into an accident," she said, hardening her voice with every word.

Kai snorted softly. "Of course, Gyatso."

When they got the Agency, her father was anxiously waiting for her. Tenzin swept her up in a tight hug and she tried not to cry, before they parted and he cleared his throat, trying to be ever the professional. "I am pleased to see that you are both alright given what happened at Varrick Enterprises. However, I'm afraid you're hardly out of the woods yet. You need to tell us everything that happened in as much detail as possible."

Commander Gyatso and BeiFong guided them through the hectic Agency―Agents running everywhere, phones ringing, paperwork flying―to BeiFong's office, which was the closest quiet space. Kai let Jinora do most of the story telling, as he leaned against BeiFong's desk, something she never would have dared to do, even if BeiFong was listening far too closely to Jinora's explanation to notice, let alone care.

Once she was done, the silence was heavy as it fell upon them. She could see her father thinking hard, a deep crease in his brow as he stroked at his beard, but it was Lin BeiFong who spoke.

"The Red Lotus is making their move. We've known this was coming. We'll send all our available agents out, spread them as thin as possible to gather intel and to protect them. Agent 008," Korra, Jinora mentally supplied, "is already headed Moscow, since the Red Lotus has some Russian intel."

"Then I should go as well," said Jinora. "Or at least go out somewhere in the field."

"Absolutely not," said Tenzin suddenly, and she glared at him. Their greatest enemy was rising up, she had skills that would seriously help in a number of departments, and he wasn't even going to consider letting her help? So much for being professional.

"I'm one of the only agents fluent in Russian, you can't just―Commander BeiFong―"

"You know as well as I do that the final decision ultimately lies with your father, Agent Gyatso," said BeiFong, but she was frowning and clearly didn't agree with him.

"Commander Gyatso―" Jinora's throat was aching from not shouting as his expression didn't budge. " _Dad_ , I am not a child, I'm an Agent―"

"I said no, Jinora, and that is final!"

Kai cleared his throat, and they all looked at him in surprise. "Sir, if I may give my two cents―"

"No you may not, Agent Fong," said Tenzin, glaring at him.

He rolled his eyes. "Gyatso got us out of a tight spot even an experienced agent like myself wouldn't have known how to handle. And, apparently, she's fluent in Russian." He gave her a quick questioning look, and she knew he'd been asking about that later. "And the top of her class. I think she's earned this...Besides, we can use all the help we can get, right?"

Jinora gaped at him, her jaw slack. Of course, this wasn't anything she hadn't told him, except for the first part, but she was surprised enough that he had actually remembered. A dull flush coloured her cheeks as she tried to find her voice.

"I happen to agree with Agent Fong," said BeiFong, and that finally seemed to snap Tenzin out of whatever daze he had been in.

Tenzin sighed heavily. "Fine. Jinora―Agent Gyatso, you may go out back into the field, but if―and only if―your services are needed in a specific case." The look in his eyes told her he already knew she'd be needed. "Agent Fong will graciously be your partner for the rest of these missions, since you seem to work well together as a team."

Thinking back on what they had been through already, Jinora had to admit her father was right, even if they had skipped over all the arguing parts. "Yes Commander Gyatso."

"You are both dismissed," said BeiFong. "Get some rest. The day is nearly over, and we have a long stretch ahead of us."

"Yes Commander," Jinora said, still slightly in disbelief. Kai nodded silently, and they left the quiet office to the chaos of the rest of the Agency.

Jinora knew her apartment was only a few blocks away as they exited the old, seemingly abandoned building together, and out onto the chilly night street. A few leaves were stubbornly clinging to the narrow branches of trees planted along the street. "Where're you sleeping?" Jinora asked. Seeing as Kai had been in recuperation, and was an international agent, he likely hadn't had a place to actually call home in a while.

"Kwong's Hotel," he shrugged, pulling out his phone to check the time.

"Are you sure that's safe?" she said, biting down on her bottom lip. "Being out in the open, like that, given what's happened?"

"This isn't the first time shit's hit the fan," said Kai, smiling, but she could see the barest traces of worry in his eyes. "I'll be fine. The Agency thinks it's fine, too."

"Yes, but that was before the bombing―"

"Are you walking home?" he said suddenly.

Jinora blinked. "Um, yes? I live only a few blocks away."

"I'll walk you, and then get a cab," he said.

"You don't have to―" That stupid annoying heat was rising to her cheeks again.

"You're a lot more out in the open until you get home than I am," he pointed out. "Being a Commander's daughter." She supposed he did have a point.

Slowly, reluctantly, she nodded. "Fine." They started down the street, casting shifting shadows across the sidewalk as they passed houses and street lamps. "Um..." She tucked her hair behind her ears, not looking at him, and instead fiddling with the strap of her duffle bag. "Thanks for speaking up back there."

For a moment, she thought he might've smiled. "No problem. It was true. I just hope you're ready for what you've gotten yourself into."

She stopped short, realizing they had reached her home. It wasn't a particularly fancy place, since she had insisted on paying the bills herself―a simple one bedroom, one full bath apartment with more books than she probably had room for. She looked up at the building, and then back down at Kai. "Well, this is it."

"Guess so," he said. She caught a glimpse of his hands shaking before he stuffed them into his pockets.

Jinora pulled out her key, turned to her door, and then turned around again, just standing there as Kai looked at her expectantly. What was she doing? Being a good partner? Partners were supposed to be professionals, effective and concise. Not handing out favours and annoying each other and doing something _friends_ would do. Hadn't she thought about how annoying Kai was about a thousand times today? She should be glad to get him out of her hair! And yet...

"Stay the night," she offered. "Just for tonight. I'm sure we'll be heading out tomorrow―but uh, Kwong's is a good hour from here, and you must be tired s-so you can stay. If you want."

For the first real time, Jinora saw his demeanor slip as Kai stared blankly at her, clearly taken aback, and then his cheeks turned a dusty red. Oh God, what if he said no, and she had just embarrassed herself for _nothing_? (Not that he was something. Because he wasn't. At all.)

Then, very softly, he said, "Okay."

Her heart was hammering like she'd just run a red light. He had been right, just not about what. What the hell had she gotten herself into?


	5. I: The Blue Bird

Strictly Professional

* * *

Act I: The Beginning of the End

Chapter 5: The Blue Bird

* * *

Jinora's apartment was exactly the way Kai had thought it would be―not that he had given more than a split-second of thought to it, of course. It was neat and proper, full of vintage and second-hand furniture, and more than one bookcase filled to the brim with thick and thin volumes of all kind. There was a bowl of fruit on her kitchen counter, with a few bar stools for sitting.

"You can crash on my couch," Jinora told him, hanging up her coat on a small plaque with hooks on the wall. "I'll get you a blanket, hold on a sec."

She crossed over towards a door (which he assumed was the bathroom) with one on either wall of it, a hallway closet and her bedroom. She took out a fuzzy red blanket, and tossed it over to him. Kai caught it, running his hands over the soft material.

"Thanks. Anything I should know?" he took a seat on her couch, the cushions bouncy with no irritating springs. He had slept in worse places. "D'you have a roommate?" Judging from the one bedroom, he doubted it, and felt a strange twinge of annoyance in his stomach as he added, "You have a boyfriend?"

Of course, that was only because he was sure her boyfriend wouldn't be pleased that a handsome guy such as himself was sleeping on his girlfriend's couch.

A dull pink coloured Jinora's cheeks, and a thought flitted across his mind for a moment―more like a second, really, honestly, he wasn't dwelling on it―that she looked kind of cute. "No, no roommate or boyfriend." She tucked her hair behind her ears. "Now get some rest. We have a long day tomorrow."

She turned to go to her room, when he found himself calling out, "Hey Gyatso?"

She turned back to him, one hand on her door frame. "Yeah?" For once she didn't sound all that annoyed with him.

"Uh, thanks." Kai rubbed the back of his neck, feeling heat spread over his face. _God he was an idiot._ "For letting me stay."

Jinora blinked, looking almost surprised, and he nearly frowned at her. He knew she didn't like him―hell, he didn't like her either―but did she really think he wouldn't say thank you for doing him a favour? A completely unncessary favour, maybe, but it was kind of... nice?

Her lips twitched upwards. "You're welcome, Fong. Now go to sleep."

Kai got himself settled on the couch, grabbing one of the pillows and wrapping himself in the blanket, sighing. Easier said than done, of course.

* * *

 _October 8th, 6:45 AM. Southern Outer Rim of Republic City, Jinora's apartment_

* * *

Sleeping somewhere foreign to him had never been easy―and if Kai was being honest with himself, sleeping anywhere wasn't easy, period. Not for the first time, he wondered how it got so bad. Nightmares had kept him awake, and then falling asleep had gotten a little bit harder each night, but he had thought nothing of it. He regretted it now, of course.

There were a lot of things he regretted.

Oddly enough though, staying at Gyatso's place wasn't really one of them. Her couch had been comfortable, and not cramped, and he had even been able to catch a few hours of sleep before she wandered out of her bedroom around 15 minutes ago and put on a pot of coffee, and offered to make him one too.

"Why not?" he had mumbled.

He took a sip of it as she placed the steaming mug in front of it. She made good coffee. At least this partnership wouldn't be a total waste. The moments passed in silence, as Jinora made herself a bowl of cereal, and then raised the box of the low-fat Special K at him; he shook his head and she put it away.

"What do you think will happen today?" she asked, sitting on the bar stool next to him and sipping her coffee.

He smirked. "You're actually looking to me for direction?"

She rolled her eyes. "You have more experience. That doesn't mean you're going to be right, of course, I just want to see how much it follow standard protocol and what they taught us in school."

 _Did she ever let anyone else talk?_ he wondered. "They'll probably send us to collect intel of some kind, maybe here in the city, maybe somewhere else, just to confirm the Red Lotus is actually responsible. We might have to do a bit of undercover work, in a bar, or something. Some place where Red Lotus members will go and loosen their tongues enough to let some information spill."

"There's a bar in the shady part of town that's used as a front for the Russian mafia," said Jinora thoughtfully. "It's known as the Синяя птица―the Blue Bird, run by a woman named P'li Shaw, I think."

"Why're you fluent in Russian anyway?" Kai asked, filing away the information. Her voice sounded different when it slipped into the other language, it was breathier, deeper in a way. He quickly cut off that train of thought.

She smiled. "I wanted to read Tolstoy's War and Peace in the original transcript, so I learned it over the summer in 10th grade."

He threw her a dry stare. "Of course you did. God, you were a brainiac weren't you?"

"Still are," she said, wrinkling her nose. "What about you? Any skills up your sleeve?"

"Beyond charming the pants off any girl I want?" he said casually, and she narrowed her eyes. "Relax, I'm kidding. Mostly. Uh, I'm a sharpshooter. Never miss a shot, with pretty much any kind of gun. And I can drive just about anything, a jet, plane, boat, car, motorcycle. Jack of all trades, master of none."

"At least you have a trace of modesty," she said, finishing up her coffee. Her pajamas, a loose yellow tank top and long leggings, paired with her hair being slightly curlier than usual, and a yawn as she pushed herself off the stool, was kind of cute. "I'm gonna go change, and then we should get to the Agency."

"Alright."

He folded up the blanket and set it down on couch, and checked his duffle bag to make sure he had everything he needed, before slinging it over his shoulder.

"You got everything?" Jinora checked, and he nodded. "Good."

They walked to the door together, and Jinora fished out her key to lock it, when she paused, the key still clasped between her fingers. "I...it feels like I'm not going to come back long time," she admitted. It posed a good question: when would she get to go home? All she knew was that whatever was happening, it was only the beginning.

"Maybe not, but it'll be the same," Kai told her, his brow furrowing. _But you won't._ Being out in the field, as a real agent, was going to change her. He hoped it wasn't for the worst. He nudged her in the arm with his elbow. "Come on. You don't want to be late, do you?"

He started walking down the hallway and she quickened her pace to catch up. "I don't think we have anything to be late for," she said, sounding almost amused that he was caring about being punctual. "We're not working on a time limit."

"Everything has a time limit."

She looked at him curiously. Even him?

He didn't say anything else, and for once, she didn't push it.

* * *

 _October 8th, 10:01 PM. South-Eastern Rim of Republic City, Southern Downtown_

* * *

"The Blue Bird is a popular hangout for Red Lotus members located in Republic City, as some Russian mafia families sell weapons and made deals for large amounts of financial payment, among other favours. We need you to infiltrate and gather whatever intel you can, without arousing suspicion. Gamble, but don't drink, and always be aware of your surroundings. Stay as long as you need to, but as soon as it looks like trouble, get out of there."

Jinora repeated Commander BeiFong's words in her head long after she and Kai had left the Agency behind. The Blue Bird was in the northern part of downtown Republic City, a shadier place by far, with dealers and people who looked like gang members, guns strapped to their sides, lurking outside dingy bars and noisy strip clubs.

"You ever been here before?" Kai asked from the driver's seat, as their rented Agency car took them closer to the Blue Bird bar.

Jinora tore her gaze away from the window, facing him. "No. You think my father would let me go to a place like this?"

"I didn't think that would've stopped you," said Kai, raising his brows. "Besides, this is just the worst of it. Where all the apartment buildings and houses are isn't so bad."

"You know the area?"

"I grew up here. Before I dropped out of school and ran off, anyway."

Jinora studied him intently. "Where'd you go?"

"Wandered around for a bit, before I got hauled back into the foster system. But it worked out, a man named Yung took me in." Kai looked almost fond, his eyes soft. "He gave me another chance and I got myself out of the gangs. Still didn't graduate, though, a real shame." He didn't look too regretful about it.

Jinora snorted softly. "Where's Yung now?"

"Paris, France now actually. The Raava Agency thought it was best for him to relocate, after I joined up, for his protection. I agreed." Kai rubbed the back of his neck. "I saw him when I got turned in for recuperation, but other than that I try to keep my distance. You're lucky your family's all involved in the Agency."

"Not my younger siblings," she said.

"Commander Gyatso has more kids?" he said, surprised. It was news to him.

"My Mum takes care of them," she said quietly. "They have her maiden name, too. They're not allowed to see him much, unfortunately, but since I'm part of the Agency it's the main reason I love on my own. For their protection. That, and my younger brother and sister drive me crazy... My parents had to sacrifice a lot to be together while my Dad has the job that he does, being with someone who's never been involved in the uh, _spy_ , world."

"Weird then, that being with someone from work might've been easier...y'know your dad's the one who made it an official written rule that relationships between spies aren't allowed?" he said. For any spy it was taboo, although it had happened a couple times over the years. As long as the spies weren't partners, the Commanders would typically let it slide, as long as they had plausible deniability. Even then, there had been a few good spies kicked to the curb because of their "unprofessional relationships" with one another, whether they were dating or just sleeping together.

"I know," Jinora said. "He used to date Commander BeiFong, when they were around...10 years older than us, I guess. They were partners and it ended up causing a lot problems, nearly sabotaged their mission, and risking a lot of other people's lives. They broke up and got reassigned to new partners, and things sort of worked themselves out."

It was old history, a combination of knowledge from her mother and her father. She knew there had been some bitterness between her father and BeiFong, but it seemed to have been resolved, with them working together as Commanders. BeiFong had always been so married to her work, and Tenzin was more than happy with Pema, of course, even after all these years.

"You should never mix business and pleasure," said Kai sagely, and Jinora wasn't about to disagree, because she knew from experience that he was right. "I dated a girl from work once and it was a disaster when we broke up."

"Where'd you work?" she said curiously.

"McDonalds."

She snorted. "Wow. And it was a disaster, you say?"

"She squirted mustard at me, so I'd say yeah," he pouted. "Got me fired. Granted, I hated working there, but..." He shrugged. "Still sucked. What about you?"

"Ugh, lab partner, 10th grade. After we broke up he tried to take all the credit for the project _I_ did all by myself, mind you," she grumbled.

"That is a dick move," Kai agreed.

"I wouldn't have thought you'd have that opinion," she said, and he squinted at her, frowning. "Well, you're a terrible flirt, Mr. I-can-charm-the-pants-off-any-girl-I-want."

"Hey, I can sleep around and not be an ass about it," he said, which she supposed was true.

"So who're you sleeping around with?"

Kai scoffed. "Haven't done that in years, not since joining the Agency. Why so curious? Are you a virgin?"

She blushed furiously. "No, for your information. I've been with a few men. Why, you think I couldn't get a man?"

He immediately backtracked. "No, just―you seem like the type who'd wanna wait, or something, I dunno." He shrugged, rubbing his back. She shouldn't have been making him so nervous, and since when had he cared about offending her? What the hell was going on? (Sleeping over at her apartment, even if it was just at her couch― _because why would it have been anything else_ ―had changed things, somehow. _Dammit_.) He quickly cleared his throat. This was a dangerous topic and they needed a conversation change.

Luckily, he could see the neon sign of the Blue Bird coming into view.

"We're here," he announced, grateful when his voice came out smooth and steady. The Blue Bird bar was dingy, with only one sign in blue neon, and a burly bouncer at the door. "Think he'll let us in?"

"If I do the talking, yes," said Jinora as he parked the car. "I don't think they'll trust foreigners much."

"Where's your family from, then?" Kai asked. He doubted it was Russia.

"Tibet on my father's side, although he was born in Nunavut, Canada, they didn't stay there long before coming down to Republic City, where me and the rest of my siblings were born here. But you're not fluent in Russian, I am." She seemed to enjoy having some experience or knowledge that he didn't, for once, since he was the more experienced Agent.

"I'm fluent in French," he said with a shrug.

"So am I. Languages was one of my specialties, so let me be a translator, alright? You're the muscle, even if that's...lacking." She was trying not to smile when he scowled at her.

"You know sweetheart," he said as they came closer to the bouncer, "you might not want to be so critical, I am the one watching your back in there."

"Yes, I know you'll have my back."

He blinked at her. "You do?"

"Of course. My father would kill you if you let anything happen to me."

Which, he supposed, was true. Still, he couldn't muster up anything but vague annoyance which quickly evaporated. Turned out she had some kind of a twisted sense of humour, but a sense of humour none the less. That was something, right?

The bouncer eyed them warily. "кто ты? Names?" he barked.

" _Friends of Miss P'li Shaw,_ " Jinora answered back in Russian. " _And by keeping us out here, you're keeping her waiting. You don't want that, do you?_ "

" _But strangers_ ―"

" _We just said we aren't strangers,_ " Jinora said tartly. " _My companion and I seek entrance into this bar. Isn't that enough?"_

The bouncer glanced at Kai, eyeing him up and down. "No, _нет_ , I cannot allow it―"

" _Sir_ ―"

"Look, buddy," Kai spoke up, and Jinora tugged on his arm for him to stop. He ignored her. "This is a lovely establishment you got here, not entirely legal, I'm guessing, and we don't want to cause any trouble. But this isn't really the type of neighbourhood you wanna keep people out too long, y'know? Our boss won't like getting his meeting delayed."

"B-boss?" The bouncer frowned uncertainly, his nervousness enough to make him go back to English.

"Lightning-bolt Zolt." Kai crossed his arms over his chest and smiled smugly. "Y'know why he has the nickname right? Cut a man's throat open in a zig-zag shape and―"

"My apologies, sir. _сударыня_ and sir, please, go right ahead, and if you could not mention this to Ms. Shaw..." The bouncer stepped away from the door and opened it.

"Of course not," said Jinora, and he looked immensely relieved, before she followed Kai into the bar.

The stench of beer and urine filled their noses, raucous laughter and thick accents, some speaking English, other Russian, carried over the twang of the music floating out of the stereos. Waitresses and a bartender were serving drinks, men and women playing cards at tables, a few passed out. One man slumped over at a table had definitely wet himself (and been robbed, judging by his out-turned pockets).

Jinora nudged Kai in the side. "Hey job back there, Fong," she said with a slight smile.

"I learned a long time ago how to lie out of my ass." He grinned, looking smug again. "The secret is bending the truth just enough so it fits."

"I'll let you handle the lying." She peered over at a group of men playing cards. "How are you at poker?"

"Decent." He followed her gaze. "Why, think I could get some intel?"

"Maybe, I don't see P'li anyway." It was hard to tell, with so many people around and the dim lighting provided through flickering lights in the ceiling and over a few booths tucked against the wall. Jinora reached for the now familiar holster that held her gun. She and Kai had changed to blend in, and she had opted for a skirt with shorts underneath (easier to move around) and a sleeveless floaty top made of multiple yellow layers that fit her nicely.

"Maybe she's not in tonight?" he suggested, and Jinora glanced at him. She had to admit his green button-up shirt looked good on him, with his sleeves rolled up. "The bartender will know. Want me to handle the talking again?" His lips twitched upwards.

She elbowed him in the ribs. "I'll take care of it, _идиот._ " Kai followed her to the bar, looking mildly annoyed and confused as he did so. "Oh, stop looking at me like that, I only called you an idiot."

"Because that makes it so much better," he grumbled, but they both turned their attention to the bartender, who looking up from where he was wiping glasses with a cloth. This would be a boring conversation, as he doubted that he'd be able to understand a word of it, but he still needed to be professional.

"Anything I can get for you and your boyfriend?" the bartender asked in a thick accent, setting down his glass.

Jinora ignored his assumption, slipping into Russian, even if her cheeks felt a little warm. It was pretty stuffy inside the bar, after all. " _Do you know where we can find P'li Shaw? Isn't she the owner of this bar?_ "

" _Depends on who's asking_ ," the bartender replied.

Jinora didn't want to use Kai's lie again, as it may have gotten a different response from someone clearly closer to P'li's inner circle. She looked at Kai, who was studying the bartender intently, but said nothing. " _We know this is her bar, just want to talk to her for a second. A few questions, that's all. Surely she must be here?_ "

The bartender frowned, and switched back to English. "I take it you don't vant a drink."

Jinora glowered at him. "No, we don't." She sighed as she and Kai headed away from the bar. "Guess we should try poker, then?"

To her surprise, Kai was grinning. "Not yet, darling."

She punched him in the arm. "Ugh, that's worse than sweetheart."

"Ow―Anyway, as I was saying, the bartender had a tattoo. A little eye on his neck. I may not know mafia as well, but I know how gangs and families identify themselves. Something small enough to not be too distinctive, but visible enough to tell each other apart. I'm willing to bet that was a family sign. What was the street name of Shaw's family, or whatever?"

"третий глаз," Jinora answered. He raised his eyebrows. "The third eye," she said, this time in English. "What'd the tattoo look like?"

Kai pointed to a guy sitting alone at a table, drinking a tankard of beer. A fancy eye in red ink was smack dab on the middle of his forehead. "Like that, but way smaller."

"Let's go see who he is, then." Jinora had barely taken a step forward when Kai took her hand, and she looked at him, bewildered. "What the hell?" She went to wrench her hand out of his, when he tightened his grip.

"Just wait for a moment," he hissed, and she saw another man approaching him. They looked nothing alike, as the first man was shorter than the second, who was much taller, a bulky build stuffed into a tight black t-shirt, a gun at his side. "Shit."

Jinora looked at him in concern. "What?"

"I know that guy," he whispered in her ear to be heard over the noise. His warm breath tickled the shell of her ear, and she almost wanted to shiver, which was odd because it wasn't cold inside the bar in the slightest. "Russian mafia, Gorovitch family."

"I thought you said you never got involved with the Russian mafia―"

"I was never stupid enough to join them, but it doesn't mean they all liked me very much. Haven't you ever heard of turf wars?"

Jinora chewed her bottom lip, and then glared at him. "Look, here's what we're gonna do: you're going to go get the intel from P'li Shaw, pretty sure she speaks English, and I am going to go distract that guy."

"By flirting?" Kai guessed.

Jinora pulled out a tube of lipstick and applied it. "Pretty much. You owe me big time; now go get the intel as fast as you can, for both our sakes."

He groaned as she walked towards the table, plastering on a dazzling smile. Couldn't they have gone to an Italian or Chinese or Mexican bar or something? There were plenty of other mafia families he didn't have any connections to, after all. Damn his luck, and he hoped he wouldn't be unlucky enough to have to interrogate someone who didn't speak the same language as him, as he approached the table, once Jinora had distracted his "old friend" and taken him elsewhere in the bar.

The man had a thin face and a tight braid of dark hair, with an undercut on either side of it. Kai took a seat in the chair opposite him. "Is P'li Shaw around?"

"Perhaps," the man said. "I am Kohaku Shaw, P'li is _младшая сестра_ ―my baby sister." He interlocked his fingers, peering at Kai curiously. "What is a young man like you doing here, asking after my sister?"

"There was a...an event connected to the Red Lotus the other day. I thought she might have a greater understanding of it," said Kai slowly. "After all, what self-respecting family doesn't want to purchase merchandise to protect themselves with?"

Kohaku chuckled heartily. "Ah, m'boy, if you're asking about the guns the Red Lotus took from that fool Varrick, do you really think they'd keep them so close to home? Or at least, Republic City? No, it's most likely already being shipped overseas. But if it is, ah, sensitive merchandise you're interested in, I suppose we could strike up a deal."

So they were already too late. Kai flashed him a charming smile. "I'm afraid I couldn't afford it, merely curious, you see."

"Ah." Kohaku sounded almost disappointed. "Curiosity kills, m'boy. Learn to quit while you're ahead."

"Thank you for your time," Kai said, rising from the table. A polite mobster; who knew? He glanced over his shoulder to try and see where his partner had gone off too, covering his ass. He caught a glimpse of yellow near the opposite wall, and weaved through the throng of dancing people towards it.

He found Jinora leaning against a wall with the young man from the Gorovitch family―Alto, or along those lines―having a hand next to her head, like a high school jock hitting on a girl. It made his stomach churn as he saw Jinora squirm, clearly uncomfortable but forced to be polite.

"C'mon baby," Alto said. "Lemme show you a good time."

Jinora saw Kai and he could see the relief spread across her face. "Sorry, I'm afraid I have to go." She wormed her way out from under his shadow, when Alto grabbed her arm.

"You're not going anywhere, slut," he growled. Kai could see his fingers digging into Jinora's arm.

Kai saw red, and before he knew what he was doing, he had marched over and shoved Alto as hard he could. It was enough for Jinora to pull herself free, and to send Alto staggering backwards. His eyes widened when he saw Kai. "You dirty street rat! Ублюдок!"

Ah, so clearly Alto still fondly remembered him.

"You never said you had a boyfriend!" Alto spat accusingly at Jinora, who stared at him disbelief.

"Yeah, because that's what should have made you back off," she snapped sarcastically. Kai pushed her behind him with one arm, his fingers curling into fists. "Fong, we need to get out of here."

"I know that," he hissed. Now they had drawn attention, but hopefully not a crowd, as anyone who wasn't too passed out or otherwise out of it was staring at them as Altor straightened up, balling his fists. Kai was preparing himself to dodge a punch, not an empty beer bottle that Altor picked up from a table and smashed into his shoulder. Kai gritted his teeth, shards of glass embedded into his skin. "You son of a bitch!"

Jinora grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the way of Altor's next blow. "Let's just run?"

Kai took out a piece of glass and blood trickled down his arm. "Run."

They high-tailed it out of there, sprinting out the door and nearly barrelling over the bouncer who yelled at them, before they found their car and climbed in as fast they could, Jinora in the driver's seat. The car zoomed down the street. They ran a red light before she finally pulled over streets later, her heart still racing as she brought the car to a stop.

Then she turned to face Kai, her features slanted in anger, her lips still a shiny red from her lipstick. "What the hell were you thinking, you idiot? Obviously you weren't thinking. What on earth compelled you to do that?"

Kai rolled his eyes, frowning as he picked another shard of glass out of his shoulder, slowly sliding it out. "Having your back," he snapped. Her eyes softened. "I wasn't going to let that guy put his hands on you―he _didn't_ put his hands on you, did he?" If she had endured that to cover his ass, then he really did owe her big time (beyond the fact no one should ever be so disrespectful to anybody).

"No," Jinora grumbled. "Although he wanted you. I told you, I can take care of myself." She watched him pick out another shard of glass, and sighed. "Come on, let's find a motel. It's late and it'll take too long to drive back to the Agency." BeiFong had given them money to stay the night at a place after all, and it would be the perfect place to discreetly patch Kai up. "And then I can take care of you."

He raised his eyebrows as he grabbed his duffle bag from the backseat, and then tossed her hers. "Why...?"

"Well, we're..." She swallowed hard. "We're partners, aren't we?"

He laughed softly, but she knew somehow, he wasn't laughing at her. "Yeah I guess we are. C'mon Gyatso, let's go."


End file.
